The Girlschoolhas always been my favorite heavy rock female band. Panties and guitar is still an insurmountable union. The “Girls’ School” (whose first name was Painted Lady) was born in the late 70s in England, in the midst of punk times. At the dawn of the 80s, the business was to merge at least three styles: rock, punk and metal and they were in place and at the right time. Sponsored by Motörhead, the girls committed at least 3 spectacular records (which I review individually), leaving an indelible mark on history. Initially, this interview would be published together with the opinions of other female personalities, talking about the female universe, but as each interviewee did more than I expected, I decided to break the article down into chapters. Girlschool Answerswere given by drummer Denise Dufort and guitarist and vocalist Jackie Chambers .
Did your parents encourage you early in your career, or did they restrict you from doing so? When did you start playing?
DENISE:
My parents were used to it, because my older brother played drums on Angel Witch (note: one of the first and best English bands of the new generation of NWOBHM in the 80s). I started very young, Dave taught me to play, I saw him playing all the time.
JACKIE:
In my youth, my father was a drummer in a band, so they supported me. Despite that, I don’t think they would believe that I was doing it today. I started playing guitar at 17 or 18 years old.
Did you buy the first instruments or did you win? Did you have to work in other professions before investing everything in your career?
DENISE:
I worked at a wallpaper store before Girlschool.
JACKIE:
I’ve worked with everything you can imagine, from stores, to the elderly home, I taught Karate, market research, a lot of things. I bought my first guitar and amplifier with the salary I earned working in a factory.
Did you feel machismo or prejudice for being a female band? Have you ever had to hit someone who crossed the line?
DENISE:
We never went through that.
JACKIE:
There have been times in other bands where I’ve been before, where the men’s gaze meant that you wouldn’t be able to play, just because you’re a woman. But in general, let them listen and judge.
What was the audience like at the beginning? Man, woman, worker, teenagers? Did you work with a businessman or businesswoman?
DENISE:
Mostly men and mostly bikers. Our manager was Doug Smith who also managed Motörhead
What is the high and low point of being in a female rock band?
DENISE:
Touring with our favorite bands, Rainbow, AC / DC, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath was a great experience. I love to play, which overcomes any difficulty.
JACKIE:
The highlight of those last 5 years was playing Sweden Rock. I love the festival, the atmosphere is fantastic and the party after the show is even better. The low points are the cancellations of the shows, for reasons that we have no control over. I hate that that happens.
What are your favorite bands? Female and male.
DENISE:
AC / DC and Rainbow.
JACKIE:
I’m a huge Alice Cooper fan, I always have been and still am. I don’t have a favorite girl group. I like bands for music, not sex.
My favorite Girlschool jobs are the first 4, all from the Bronz record company. What can you share with us about the old days, when you started writing, composing, recording and touring? DENISE: I remember how excited I was to do the thing I loved most, which was touring and playing drums, visiting different countries. I felt lucky to see places that I only imagined in dreams … and nothing that can be done in a 9 to 5 job.
Have you had any disappointments regarding the world of music and career?
DENISE:
It would be nice to get a first place on the charts … I could talk a lot about the music world, but I won’t.
How do you feel, being a woman who keeps proving every day that you are as capable as any other composer and musician? DENISE: What is it like to be a man? We are more than capable .. We do!